Rapid thermal processing systems and methods for treating microelectronic substrates

ABSTRACT

Rapid thermal processing systems and associated methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for heating a microelectronic substrate include generating a plasma, applying the generated plasma to a surface of the microelectronic substrate, and raising a temperature of the microelectronic substrate with the generated plasma applied to the surface of the microelectronic substrate. The method further includes continuing to apply the generated plasma until the microelectronic substrate reaches a desired temperature.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/429,109filed Apr. 23, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,426,763, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is related to rapid thermal processing systemsand methods for treating microelectronic substrates.

BACKGROUND

Rapid thermal processing (RTP) generally refers to processes in whichsemiconductor substrates are heated to high temperatures (e.g.,typically 1,000° C.) in a short period of time (e.g., 5 seconds). RTP istypically used in doping/annealing (e.g., dopant activation and waferdamage recovery), rapid thermal oxidation (e.g., gate oxide formation),contact formation (e.g., metal silicide formation), shallow trenchisolation reflowing, and/or other stages of semiconductor manufacturing.

Current commercial RTP systems are typically lamp-based or hotwall-based. Lamp-based RTP systems include an array of tungsten-halogenlamps to heat a substrate predominately via radiation. The hotwall-based RTP systems typically include a resistive heating array, andthe heating mechanism is also predominately radiation at hightemperature ranges (e.g., greater than about 800° C.). Suchradiation-based techniques have low energy transfer efficienciesbecause, among other things, the heat transfer is emissivity-dependent(e.g., dependent on substrate temperature, substrate material, surfaceconditions, etc.). As a result, ramp-up rates for such RTP systems arerelatively low because a substrate may not efficiently absorb thesupplied radiation energy. Accordingly, lamp-based or hot wall-based RTPsystems may be inadequate for forming junctions with a small junctiondepth (e.g., 20-35 nm) and an adequate sheet resistance for source/drainextension as feature dimensions of ULSI devices decrease to around0.1μm.

In the last decade, flash lamp-based and pulsed laser-based RTPtechniques have been under development. These techniques use pulses ofhigh optical energy to either selectively raise a surface temperature orbriefly melt the surface of a semiconductor substrate. Upon terminationof an optical pulse, the surface of the substrate rapidly cools viathermal diffusion into the bulk of the substrate material. Thesetechniques, however, are still radiation-based. Thus, the energytransfer efficiency is still low. Also, these techniques involve rapidlyquenching the semiconductor substrate after each optical pulse, whichcan lead to lattice defects and dopant metastability issues.Consequently, junction leakage and dopant redistribution duringsubsequent thermal processing stages may result. Accordingly, severalimprovements to the current RTP systems and techniques may be desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a plasma-immersion type RTP system inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plot of substrate temperature versus time for amicroelectronic substrate treated in the RTP system of FIG. 1 inaccordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a plot of substrate temperature versus time for amicroelectronic substrate during a spike anneal operation in the RTPsystem of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a plasma-immersion type RTP system inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an ion-shower type RTP system inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method for thermally processing amicroelectronic substrate in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of RTP systems and methods for treatingmicroelectronic substrates are described below. The term“microelectronic substrate” is used throughout to include substratesupon which and/or in which microelectronic devices, micromechanicaldevices, data storage elements, read/write components, and otherfeatures are fabricated. Microelectronic substrates can include one ormore conductive and/or nonconductive layers (e.g., metallic,semiconductive, and/or dielectric layers) that are situated upon orwithin one another. These conductive and/or nonconductive layers canalso include a wide variety of electrical elements, mechanical elements,and/or systems of such elements in the conductive and/or nonconductivelayers (e.g., an integrated circuit, a memory, a processor, amicro-electromechanical system, etc.). The term “ramp-up” generallyrefers to increasing a temperature of an object (e.g., a microelectronicsubstrate) from an initial temperature (e.g., room temperature) to adesired temperature (e.g., about 1000° C.). The term “ramp-down”generally refers to decreasing a temperature of an object from aninitial temperature (e.g., about 1000° C.) to a desired temperature(e.g., room temperature). The term “room temperature” generally refersto a temperature of about 20° C. or another suitable ambient temperatureof a room in which the RTP system is located. A person skilled in therelevant art will also understand that the systems and/or methodsdisclosed herein may have additional embodiments and that the systemsand methods disclosed herein may be practiced without several details ofthe embodiments described below with reference to FIGS. 1-6.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a plasma-immersion type RTP system 100 inaccordance with an embodiment of the technology. As shown in FIG. 1, theRTP system 100 includes a processing station 102, a plasma gas source103, a plasma power supply 104, a biasing power supply 106, and acontroller 118 operatively coupled to one another. The plasma gas source103 can be coupled to the processing station 102 by a control valve 105and can include a container holding argon, oxygen, nitrogen, xenon,helium, and/or other suitable plasma gases. The plasma power supply 104can include an AC power supply and/or other types of power supplysuitable for energizing a plasma source. The biasing power supply 106can include a continuous DC power supply or a pulsed DC power supply. Inother embodiments, the RTP system 100 can also include a vacuum source(e.g., a vacuum pump), power conditioners (e.g., rectifiers, filters,etc.), pressure sensors, and/or other suitable mechanical/electricalcomponents.

The processing station 102 can include a plasma source 111, a plasmachamber 112, and a temperature sensor 108 operatively coupled to oneanother. The plasma source 111 can be operatively coupled to the plasmapower supply 104 and can include an inductively coupled plasma source, acapacitively coupled plasma source, a microwave plasma source, anelectron cyclotron resonance plasma source, a helicon source, and/orother suitable types of plasma sources. The plasma source 111 shown inFIG. 1 is integrated with the plasma chamber 112, but in otherembodiments the plasma source may be spaced apart from the plasmachamber 112 (e.g., a remote plasma source). In such an embodiment, theRTP system 100 may include a conduit (not shown) for transporting aplasma generated by the remote plasma source to the plasma chamber 112.

The plasma chamber 112 can include a housing 115 enclosing a substratesupport 113. The housing 115 can be constructed from quartz, a polymericmaterial, and/or other suitable materials. The substrate support 113 canbe electrically coupled to the biasing power supply 106. In theillustrated embodiment, the substrate support 113 includes a ring-shapedstructure extending from a side wall 117 of the housing 115. Thesubstrate support 113 can hold a microelectronic substrate 114 with itsactive surface 114 a (e.g., containing integrated circuits, electricalcontacts, etc.) facing away from the plasma source 111 and its backsurface 114 b facing the plasma source 111. In certain embodiments, thesubstrate support 113 and the microelectronic substrate 114 can sealablydivide the interior space of the housing 115 into a first portion 115 aand a second portion 115 b. In other embodiments, the substrate support113 can include other structures (e.g., a mechanical chuck, a vacuumchuck, etc.) that may or may not completely seal the second portion 115b from the first portion 115 a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 108 includes a noncontactingtype temperature sensor (e.g., a pyrometer) positioned outside of thehousing 115. In other embodiments, the temperature sensor 108 can alsoinclude a contacting type temperature sensor (e.g., a thermocouple, aresistance temperature detector, etc.) that is in direct contact withthe substrate support 113 and/or the microelectronic substrate 114. Infurther embodiments, the temperature sensor 108 may be integrated withthe substrate support 113. The temperature sensor 108, however, isoptional and may be omitted from the RTP system 100.

In the illustrated embodiment, the RTP system 100 can optionally includea cooling chamber 110 coupled to the processing station 102. The coolingchamber 110 can include at least one cooling chuck 119 (two are shownfor illustration purposes) configured to cool the microelectronicsubstrate 114 after being heated in the plasma chamber 112. In otherembodiments, the cooling chamber 110 may include a coolant nozzle forproviding a coolant (e.g., dry air, nitrogen, argon, etc.) to themicroelectronic substrate 114 and/or other suitable arrangements forcooling the microelectronic substrate 114. In further embodiments, thecooling chamber 110 may be omitted.

The controller 118 can include a processor 120 coupled to a memory 122and an input/output component 124. The processor 120 can include amicroprocessor, a field-programmable gate array, and/or other suitablelogic processing devices. The memory 122 can include volatile and/ornonvolatile media (e.g., ROM, RAM, magnetic disk storage media, opticalstorage media, flash memory devices, and/or other suitable storagemedia) and/or other types of computer-readable storage media configuredto store data received from, as well as instructions for, the processor120. The input/output component 124 can include a display, a touchscreen, a keyboard, a mouse, and/or other suitable types of input/outputdevices configured to accept input from and provide output to anoperator.

In certain embodiments, the controller 118 can include a personalcomputer operatively coupled to the other components of the RTP system100 via a communication link (e.g., a USB link, an Ethernet link, aBluetooth link, etc.). In other embodiments, the controller 118 caninclude a network server operatively coupled to the other components ofthe RTP system 100 via a network connection (e.g., an internetconnection, an intranet connection, etc.) In further embodiments, thecontroller 118 can include a process logic controller, a distributedcontrol system, and/or other suitable computing frameworks.

In operation, the processing station 102 can receive the microelectronicsubstrate 114. In certain embodiments, the microelectronic substrate 114can be loaded onto the substrate support 113 with its back surface 114 bfacing the plasma source 111. In other embodiments, the processingstation 102 can receive the microelectronic substrate 114 in othersuitable arrangements. The processing station 102 can then be evacuatedby drawing a vacuum in the plasma chamber 112 via a vacuum source (notshown) until a suitable vacuum (e.g., about 0 Torr to about 50 mTorr) isachieved at least in the plasma chamber 112.

After the suitable pressure is achieved, the controller 118 can output asignal to open the control valve 105. The plasma gas source 103 thensupplies a plasma gas (e.g., argon) to the plasma chamber 112 via thecontrol valve 105. After a suitable pressure (e.g., about 0.1 mTorr toabout 10 Torr) is achieved in the plasma chamber 112, the controller 118can output a signal to modulate the control valve 105 to maintain agenerally constant pressure in the plasma chamber 112.

The controller 118 can then output a signal to energize the plasma powersupply 104. The plasma power supply 104 then provides electrical power(e.g., an AC voltage) to the plasma source 111 to generate a plasma 126in the plasma chamber 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the generatedplasma includes an argon plasma that includes argon ions and electrons.In other embodiments, the generated plasma can include a nitrogen, axenon, a helium, and/or other suitable types of plasma.

The controller 118 can also output a signal to energize the biasingpower supply 106, which in turn biases the substrate support 113 and themicroelectronic substrate 114. In one embodiment, the biasing powersupply 106 applies a continuous or pulsed negative DC bias to thesubstrate support 113 and the microelectronic substrate 114 relative toground. The resultant electric field is believed to drive positive argonions to bombard the back surface 114 b of the microelectronic substrate114 (as indicated by the arrows 128) while forcing electrons away fromthe microelectronic substrate 114. In other embodiments, the biasingpower supply 106 can apply a continuous or pulsed positive DC bias tothe substrate support 113 and the microelectronic substrate 114 relativeto ground.

Without being bound by theory, it is believed that as the argon ions (orelectrons) bombard the back surface 114 b of the microelectronicsubstrate 114, the argon ions (or electrons) can transfer their kineticenergy to thermal energy and thus raise the temperature of themicroelectronic substrate 114. In certain embodiments, the ramp-up ratescan be from about 300° C./second to about 900° C./second. In otherembodiments, the ramp-up rates can be from about 500° C./second to about850° C./second. In further embodiments, the ramp-up rates can be fromabout 600° C./second to about 800° C./second.

The following equations are believed to represent the ramp-up andramp-down responses of the microelectronic substrate 114 when processedin the RTP system 100:

$\begin{matrix}{{dT} = {\frac{P_{net}}{C}{dt}}} & \left( {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right)\end{matrix}$

where T is the substrate temperature, t is time, P_(net) is the netinput power, and C is the heat capacity of the microelectronic substrate114.

During heating, the thermal losses by conduction and convection from themicroelectronic substrate 114 may be negligible because the pressure inthe plasma chamber 112 is low, so that the net input power can berepresented as:

P _(net) =P _(in) −P _(rad)   (Equation 2)

where P_(in) is an input power density and P_(rad) is a power density byradiation. P_(in) can be calculated as:

P_(in)=V₀J   (Equation 3)

where V₀ is the bias voltage, J is a current density. P_(rad) can becalculated by:

P _(rad)=2·e·σ·(T ⁴ −T ₀ ⁴)   (Equation 4)

where e is the emissivity of the back surface 114 b of themicroelectronic substrate 114. The value of the emissivity can bebetween 0 to 1 depending on the temperature and material. σ is theStefan-Boltzmann constant and has a value of 5.68×10⁻¹² W/cm²-K⁴, T isthe substrate temperature, and T₀ is an environment temperature (e.g.,the temperature in the plasma chamber 112). Combining Equations (1) to(4), the temperature response of the microelectronic substrate 114 canbe represented according to equation (5) below.

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{dT}{dt} = \frac{{V_{0}J} - {2 \cdot e \cdot \sigma \cdot \left( {T^{4} - T_{0}^{4}} \right)}}{C}} & \left( {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 5} \right)\end{matrix}$

In certain embodiments, the controller 118 can control the ramp-upand/or ramp-down rates of the microelectronic substrate 114 in afeed-forward fashion. For example, in one embodiment, the controller 118can include a calculation module that calculates a value of the biasvoltage V₀ by solving Equation 5 based on a desired value for theramp-up rate

$\frac{dT}{dt}$

and the current density J. The controller 118 can then set the outputvoltage of the biasing power supply 106 to be equal to or otherwisebased on the calculated value. The controller 118 can also set theoutput voltage of the plasma power supply 104 to a value thatcorresponds to the desired current density J.

In other embodiments, the controller 118 can control the ramp-up and/orramp-down rates of the microelectronic substrate 114 in a feedbackfashion. For example, the temperature sensor 108 and/or other suitablesensing device (not shown) can measure a current value of the substratetemperature T and provide the measured value to the controller 118. Inone embodiment, the controller 118 can then adjust the bias voltage V₀and/or the output voltage of the plasma power supply 104 based on thecurrent substrate temperature T to achieve a desired temperaturesetpoint in the microelectronic substrate 114. In another embodiment,the controller 118 can also control the pulse width of the pulsed DCbias to achieve the temperature setpoint when the biasing power supply106 provides a pulsed DC bias to the substrate support 113. In otherembodiments, the controller 118 can monitor the measured value of thesubstrate temperature T and derive a rate of change ΔT in the substratetemperature T. The controller 118 can then adjust the bias voltage V₀,the output voltage of the plasma power supply 104, and/or the pulsewidth of the biasing power supply 106 based on the rate of change ΔT inthe substrate temperature T.

In yet other embodiments, the controller 118 can have cascaded controlarrangements for achieving desired ramp-up and/or ramp-down rates of themicroelectronic substrate 114. For example, the controller 118 caninclude a master control module logically coupled to a slave controlmodule. The master and/or slave control module can include aproportional loop, a proportional-integral loop, aproportional-integral-differential loop, and/or other suitable controlloops. The master control module can use the rate of change ΔT and/orother suitable parameters as the process variable. The slave controlmodule can use the substrate temperature T as the process variable. Themaster control module can then produce a substrate temperature setpointfor the slave control module based on the rate of change ΔT and adesired rate of change setpoint. In further embodiments, the controller118 can control the substrate temperature T, the rate of change ΔT inthe substrate temperature T, and/or other process parameters based on acombination of the foregoing techniques.

After the desired temperature is achieved, in certain embodiments, thecontroller 118 can adjust the bias voltage V₀, the output voltage of theplasma power supply 104, and/or the pulse width of the biasing powersupply 106 to maintain the microelectronic substrate 114 at the desiredtemperature for a predetermined time period (e.g., during a soak annealoperation). In other embodiments, the controller 118 can immediatelyturn off the plasma power supply 104 and the biasing power supply 106 tostart cooling the microelectronic substrate 114 (e.g., during a spikeanneal operation).

In certain embodiments, the microelectronic substrate 114 can be cooledby radiation only. For example, the microelectronic substrate 114 canremain in the plasma chamber 112 after the plasma power supply 104 andthe biasing power supply 106 are turned off. The microelectronicsubstrate 114 can also be removed from the plasma chamber 112. Thecontroller 118 can continue monitoring the current substrate temperatureT via the temperature sensor 108 until a desired temperature isachieved. In certain embodiments, the ramp-down rates can be from about100° C./second to about 200° C./second. In other embodiments, theramp-down rates can be from about 120° C./second to about 150°C./second.

In other embodiments, the microelectronic substrate 114 can be activelycooled. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the substratesupport 113 can transport the microelectronic substrate 114 from theplasma chamber 112 to the cooling chamber 110. The cooling chucks 119can then absorb heat from the microelectronic substrate 114 viaconduction to achieve the desired temperature. In further embodiments,the microelectronic substrate 114 can also be cooled with a combinationof conduction, convection, and radiation techniques. When activelycooled, the ramp-down rates can range from about 1000° C./second toabout 2000° C./second.

After the microelectronic substrate 114 is cooled to the desiredtemperature, in certain embodiments, the microelectronic substrate 114may be removed from the plasma chamber 112. A new microelectronicsubstrate 114 may be loaded into the plasma chamber 112, and theforegoing thermal processing operations may be repeated. In otherembodiments, the microelectronic substrate 114 may undergo the foregoingtreatment again as needed.

Even though the biasing power supply 106 and/or the plasma power supply104 are utilized in the RTP system 100 of FIG. 1 to impart energy to thegenerated plasma 126, in other embodiments, the RTP system 100 mayimpart energy to the plasma 126 with other components and/or techniquesin addition to or in lieu of the biasing power supply 106 and/or theplasma power supply 104. For example, in certain embodiments, radiofrequency waves may be used to impart energy to the plasma 126. In otherembodiments, the RTP system 100 may include other suitable energydelivery components.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show examples of temperature responses under certainoperating conditions in the RTP system 100 when the controller 118controls the ramp-up and/or ramp-down rates of the microelectronicsubstrate 114 in a feed-forward fashion. As shown in FIG. 2, at an inputpower density P_(in) of about 100 W/cm² with e having a value of 0.7,the substrate temperature T increases from room temperature (RT) toabout 1000° C. in about 1.35 seconds. The ramp-up rate is about 741°C./second from RT to about 1000° C., and about 643° C./second from 850°C. to 1000° C. Such ramp-up rates are much higher than those of theconventional RTP techniques, which are typically about 25° C./second toabout 100° C./second.

FIG. 3 is a plot of substrate temperature versus time for amicroelectronic substrate during a spike anneal operation in the RTPsystem of FIG. 1 when the input power density P_(in) is 100 W/cm². Asshown in FIG. 3, the ramp-up rate is about 741° C./second from RT toabout 1000° C., and about 643° C./second from about 850° C. to about1000° C. The ramp-down rate is about 123° C./second from 1000° C. to850° C. by radiation only, but it is about 1750° C./second from 1000° C.to 850° C. using an active cooling technique (e.g., via a direct contactwith the cooling chucks 119 or backside gas cooling with a heat transfercoefficient of about 0.25 W/cm²° C.). These ramp-down rates are muchhigher than those of the conventional RTP techniques, which aretypically about 48° C./second.

Several embodiments of the RTP system 100 can have a thermal budget muchlower than that of the conventional lamp-based or hot wall-based RTPsystems. For example, in a spike anneal (e.g., heating from about 850°C. to about 1000° C. and subsequently cooling back down to about 850°C.), several embodiments of the RTP system 100 can have a thermal budgetof 1.5 seconds by natural cooling or 0.34 seconds by active cooling, asshown in FIG. 3. These thermal budget values are much lower than thoseof the conventional lamp-based or hot wall-based RTP techniques (i.e.,typically about 6 seconds or more), yet they are sufficiently long toavoid rapidly quenching the microelectronic substrate 114 in a mannerthat produces lattice defects or other problems associated with existingflash lamp-based and pulsed laser-based RTP techniques.

Several embodiments of the RTP system 100 can have higher energyconversion efficiency than conventional RTP systems. Without being boundby theory, it is believed that the kinetic to thermal energy conversionin several embodiments of the RTP system 100 is very high (i.e.,approximately 100%), even at lower temperatures. Thus, for the spikeanneal process shown in FIG. 3, the total process time starting fromroom temperature is less than 10 seconds, which is much shorter thanthat of the conventional lamp-based or hot wall-based RTP systems (e.g.,about 50 seconds).

FIG. 4 schematically shows another embodiment of the RTP system 100.Even though the biasing power supply 106 shown in FIG. 1 is configuredto directly bias the substrate support 113, the processing station 102of the RTP system 100 shown in FIG. 4 can also bias a plasma electrode130 (e.g., a perforated grid) positioned proximate to the substratesupport 113. The plasma electrode 130 shown in FIG. 4 can be used inlieu of directly biasing the substrate support 113. The resultantelectric field is believed to drive at least a portion of the ions fromthe plasma 126 to bombard the back surface 114 b of the microelectronicsubstrate 114 via the plasma electrode 130.

In further embodiments, the RTP system 100 can also include other ionextraction arrangements. For example, FIG. 5 is a schematic view of anion-shower type RTP system 200 in accordance with another embodiment ofthe disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the processing station 102 caninclude an ion extraction electrode 132 positioned proximate to theplasma source 111. The ion extraction electrode 132 can include at leastone perforated plate that is electrically coupled to the biasing powersupply 106. In operation, the biasing power supply 106 electricallybiases the ion extraction electrode 132 to extract, accelerate, and/orfocus beams of ions (as indicated by the arrows 129) from the plasmasource 111 onto the microelectronic substrate 114 on the substratesupport 113.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method 300 for thermally processing amicroelectronic substrate in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the method 300 includes generating aplasma (block 302). In certain embodiments, generating the plasma caninclude generating an argon, oxygen, nitrogen, xenon, helium, and/orother suitable type of plasma from an inductively coupled plasma source,a capacitively coupled plasma source, a microwave plasma source, anelectron cyclotron resonance plasma source, a helicon source, and/oranother suitable plasma source. In other embodiments, generating theplasma can include transporting the plasma from an external and/or othersuitable plasma source.

The method 300 can include applying the generated plasma to amicroelectronic substrate (block 304). In one embodiment, applying thegenerated plasma includes driving at least a portion of the plasmatoward the microelectronic substrate by electrically biasing themicroelectronic substrate. In another embodiment, applying the generatedplasma includes increasing the kinetic energy of at least a portion ofthe plasma and driving the portion of the plasma toward themicroelectronic substrate. In other embodiments, applying the generatedplasma includes extracting, accelerating, and/or focusing certain ionsof the generated plasma onto the microelectronic substrate. The plasmacan be applied for heating purposes only without directly interfacingwith the active side of the substrate by applying the plasma against thebackside of the substrate opposite the active side.

The method 300 can also include raising a temperature of themicroelectronic substrate with the applied plasma to a desiredtemperature setpoint (block 306). In one embodiment, raising thetemperature of the microelectronic substrate includes completelyconverting at least part of the kinetic energy of the applied plasmainto thermal energy. In other embodiments, raising the temperature ofthe microelectronic substrate can also include converting the kineticand/or other types of energy of the applied plasma into thermal energyvia fiction, electrical interaction, and/or other suitable mechanisms.

In certain embodiments, raising the temperature of the microelectronicsubstrate can also include controlling the energy of the applied plasma(block 306). In one embodiment, controlling the energy of the appliedplasma includes adjusting a driving force (e.g., an electrical biasvoltage, a pulse width of a pulsed DC bias voltage, etc.) of the plasmatoward the microelectronic substrate. In another embodiment, controllingthe energy of the applied plasma includes measuring a currenttemperature of the microelectronic substrate and adjusting the drivingforce based at least in part on the measured current temperature. Infurther embodiments, controlling the energy of the applied plasma canalso include controlling an ion density of the plasma and/or othersuitable parameters. The method 300 then continues to a decision stage(block 308) to determine whether the process should continue. If yes,the process reverts to the stage of applying the plasma to themicroelectronic substrate at block 304; otherwise, the process ends.

Experiments were conducted in an RTP system generally similar instructure and function to that of the RTP system 200 of FIG. 5. Oxygenwas used as the plasma gas to produce an oxygen plasma. A biasingvoltage of 50 keV and an ion current density of about 5 mA/cm² were usedto drive the oxygen plasma into a silicon wafer with a 300 mm diameter.The wafer temperature was raised from RT to about 1000° C. in about 2seconds as measured by an IR pyrometer.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thedisclosure. For example, many of the elements of one embodiment may becombined with other embodiments in addition to or in lieu of theelements of the other embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure is notlimited except as by the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A rapid thermal processing system for treating amicroelectronic substrate, comprising: a plasma chamber; a plasma sourcein fluid communication with the plasma chamber, the plasma source beingconfigured to generate a plasma; a substrate support in the plasmachamber, the substrate support being configured to support themicroelectronic substrate; a biasing power supply electrically coupledto the substrate support; and a controller operatively coupled to theplasma source and the biasing power supply, the controller having acomputer readable medium containing instructions for performing a methodcomprising adjusting at least one of the plasma source and the biasingpower supply based on a desired temperature in the microelectronicsubstrate.
 2. The rapid thermal processing system of claim 1 whereinadjusting at least one of the plasma source and the biasing power supplyincludes adjusting at least one of the plasma source and the biasingpower supply and achieving the desired temperature in themicroelectronic substrate at a ramp-up rate of about 300° C./second toabout 800° C./second.
 3. The rapid thermal processing system of claim 1,further comprising: a temperature sensor proximate to the plasma chamberand operatively coupled to the controller, the temperature sensor beingconfigured to measure a current temperature of the microelectronicsubstrate; and wherein adjusting at least one of the plasma source andthe biasing power supply includes adjusting at least one of the plasmasource and the biasing power supply based on the measured currenttemperature of the microelectronic substrate and achieving the desiredtemperature in the microelectronic substrate.
 4. The rapid thermalprocessing system of claim 1, further comprising: a plasma power supplyelectrically coupled to the plasma source; a temperature sensorproximate to the plasma chamber and operatively coupled to thecontroller, the temperature sensor being configured to measure a currenttemperature of the microelectronic substrate; and wherein adjusting atleast one of the plasma source and the biasing power supply includesadjusting at least one of an output voltage of the plasma power supplyand an output voltage of the biasing power supply based on the measuredcurrent temperature of the microelectronic substrate and achieving thedesired temperature in the microelectronic substrate.
 5. The rapidthermal processing system of claim 1, further comprising: a temperaturesensor proximate to the plasma chamber and operatively coupled to thecontroller, the temperature sensor being configured to measure a currenttemperature of the microelectronic substrate; and wherein the substratesupport includes a generally ring-shaped structure that sealablyseparates the plasma chamber into a first portion proximate to theplasma source and a second portion proximate to the temperature sensor,the generated plasma being shielded from the second portion of theplasma chamber.
 6. A rapid thermal processing system for treating amicroelectronic substrate, comprising: a plasma chamber; a plasma sourcecoupled to the plasma chamber, the plasma source being configured togenerate a plasma in the plasma chamber; a substrate support in theplasma chamber, the substrate support being configured to support themicroelectronic substrate; and means for imparting energy to thegenerated plasma and raising a temperature of the microelectronicsubstrate with the generated plasma at a rate of about 300° C./second toabout 800° C./second.
 7. The rapid thermal processing system of claim 6,further comprising means for controlling the imparted energy to thegenerated plasma based on the rate of about 300° C./second to about 800°C./second.
 8. The rapid thermal processing system of claim 6, furthercomprising: a temperature sensor proximate to the plasma chamber, thetemperature sensor being configured to measure a current temperature ofthe microelectronic substrate; and means for controlling the impartedenergy to the generated plasma based at least in part on the measuredcurrent temperature of the microelectronic substrate and a ramp-up rateof about 300° C./second to about 800° C./second.